Pre-cast concrete sound barrier mechanical post connection and sound barrier usng the same

ABSTRACT

A pre-cast concrete column with cast in place footing and a sound barrier made using the same.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/690,048 filed Jun. 26, 2018, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Mechanical connections designed to connect reinforced concrete posts or columns are a part of many highway construction projects. In other systems, the concrete posts or columns are cast on site with a rebar tail that is wet set into the foundation concrete. Each construction site had to have a form into which the rebar reinforced concrete could be poured and cured to create a concrete post having slots to accommodate a sound barrier panel. Construction time was dependent upon drying/curing times for each of the on-site casts and the foundation. Sound barriers or panels could be erected onto the foundation and mechanically engage the posts only after the column and foundation where cured. There is a need for a precast concrete sound barrier mechanical post connection sound barrier that reduces construction time and costs.

In one embodiment, the disclosure includes a precast concrete column having a column section, a collar section and a shoe section. Rebar extends from the shoe section at least partially along the length of the concrete column structure and secured to internal “ties” within the concrete post or column to improve the column's structural integrity. The ties are disposed along reinforcing bars extending from the shoe along the length of the column. The ties may be spaced apart at different intervals along the length of the column. The shoe section includes a base with an aperture and sidewalls, with reinforcing rods extending lengthwise from the base a predetermined length along the column. A footing is described that is cast in place and has anchor bolts precast in place in the footing to secure the pre-cast column in place. The columns include slots along at least a portion of the column length of sufficient dimension to accommodate a sound barrier wall structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cutaway side view of the precast concrete post showing its construction;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view along line A-A of the column of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section view along line B-B of the column of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line C-C of the column of FIG. 1 showing the column shoes;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the column shoes of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the column shoe of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the column shoe of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a top view of the column shoe of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the anchor bolts used to secure the column shoe in place on a footing;

FIG. 10 is a cast in place footing with anchor bolts;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing the anchor bolts holding the precast column in place on the footing;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a sound wall barrier panel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Turning now to the drawings wherein like numbers refer to like structures, FIG. 1 is a cutaway side view of a pre-cast concrete noise barrier column 10 showing its construction. The column has a length with two opposed ends and has three sections. The first section is a precast column pedestal section 12, as will be described in relation to FIG. 2, a pre-cast collar section 14 as will be described in relation to FIG. 3 and a cast on site column shoe section 16, as shown and described in relation to FIG. 4. The column may be of one width along part of its length and may a different width along another part of its length.

The precast column has at least one rebar 18 extending the entire length L of the precast column. The rebar interacts with ties 20 at various intervals 17 along the length of the rebar to reinforce the interaction of the rebar and the concrete to improve structural integrity of the column. The ties 20 may be evenly spaced along the length of the rebar 18, or may be arranged at varying spaced intervals along the length of the rebar. In FIG. 1, the ties at end 21 of the precast concrete column 10 are spaced closer together that the ties along body 19 precast concrete column. The ties improve the strength of the concrete and help prevent propagation of cracks along the length of the precast concrete column.

The column has an “H” or an “I” shape, as seen in FIGS. 1-4. Turning the FIG. 2, there is shown a section of the column along line A-A of FIG. 1. The H or I shape provides the column with slots 22 on opposite sides of the column into which may be fitted a sound wall in an interlocking manner to provide for a sound barrier. The slots 22, which may be radiused 23 at their opening 25, extend substantially the length of the column and may be opposed to each other. The radius 23 provides a surface against which the sound barrier may cooperate to guide it into the slot without damaging the concrete post slot. The opening 25 is larger than rear wall 27 such that walls 31 and 33 are inclined outwardly from the wall 27 toward the opening 25. In this regard it may be said the walls are oriented at an obtuse angle relative to each other. It has been found this configuration permits the sound wall barrier to be fit into the slot a guided into the slot until the barrier contact wall 27 to be seated entirely within the slot. Ties 20 are shown interacting with the rebar to provide additional structural strength to the concrete column. As seen in this figure, the rebar 18 is aligned in two opposed rows 29 and 35. Note the rebar in the rows may be of the same grade, or it may be of differing grade, or each of the rebar may be the same or different grade. In this embodiment, tie 37 is shown extending between the second rebar of each row to impart additional structure integrity to the column. Ties 39 and 41 extend along each row of the rebar to impart structural strength to the concrete column. The column has a pre-cast pedestal portion 24, and may be faced with grout or concrete 43 to provide finished or textured look the columns.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the concrete column of FIG. 1 taken along line B-B. Bearing pads 26 are disposed on the footing section in working relationship on the to the slots 22 to interpose between the sound barrier walls and the footing of FIG. 7 when the sound barrier is put into position in the slots. Note that in this sectional view, the precast collar section 14 is shown as larger in perimeter than the pre-cast concrete post or column. Note rebar 47, which may be a #10 rebar, is a different grade than rebar 49, which may be a #9 rebar. This will be explained n references to FIGS. 4-8. In this sectional view of FIG. 3, rebar 47 is arranged in two opposing rows of three each, and ties are provided as previously described to interact with the rebar and provide structural support to the column. Note the precast collar section 14 may be of a larger overall width and length than the rest of the concrete column.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the concrete column of FIG. 1 taken along line C-C. In this sectional view, the column shoes 51, 53, 55, and 57 may be seen. The column shoes, as will be described in FIGS. 5-8, have rebar 59 extending a predetermined length of the column. The rebar 59 is reinforced with rebar 61, which is wrapped around the rebar 59 to provide further structural support to the concrete column. The rebar 61 may be the same or different grade as the rebar 59.

Turning to FIGS. 5-8, the shoes 30 have a base 32 with sidewalls 34 and a foot 36 at an angle to the side walls. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the shoes. The foot has an aperture 38 to accept a bolt to fasten the shoe to the footing as will be hereafter described. The sidewalls have rods 40 attached thereto and extending a distance along the length of the column. The rods are cast into the concrete and form a part of the precast column. A bolt 42 is installed in an anchor 44 in the footing and extends therefrom to interact with the base aperture to secure the column in place on the footing by a simple nut and bolt attachment.

FIG. 6 is a front sectional view of the shoe of FIG. 5, showing its construction. The shoe has a base 32 and a sidewall 34 which may be unitary or comprised of separate plates welded or fastened together. The sidewall supports bars 40. FIG. 7 is a side view of FIG. 6 and FIG. 8 is a top view of FIG. 6.

FIGS. 10-11 show the footing 50 for the pre-cast concrete column is cast in place on the job site and fitted with the anchor 44 and bolts 42. The pre-cast column is them mounted thereon, and the anchor bolts, as shown in FIG. 9, extend through the apertures in the show base. The bolts have a threaded portion 63 and accept a nut 48 The nuts 48 are tightened in place and the precast column is ready to accept a sound barrier wall.

FIG. 12 is a sound barrier wall used in connection with the posts as described in FIGS. 1-11 above. The Sound Barrier wall may be made of any acoustically desired material, such as roughed cement. The sound barrier wall has ends 67 and 69 that fit into the slots in the concrete posts, interact with pads 26 when fully seated in the slots, and forms the sound barrier wall.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that the terms used in this specification are words of description and not words of limitation. Many variations and modifications are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. 

1. (canceled)
 2. (canceled)
 3. A precast concrete noise barrier column, comprising; a column having a body with a length and width; said body having opposed first and second ends; said body including a column pedestal portion, a collar portion and a column shoe portion; said concrete column having at least one slot extending substantially the entire length of the body; said concrete column further equipped with rebar extending along substantially the length of the concrete column; said rebar organized in opposed rows and having ties binding the rebar into opposed rows at predetermined locations along said column; said column shoe portion having a base and a terminating in a shoe; said column shoe portion equipped with rebar extending at least partially along the length of said column; said column shoe portion having a bearing pad in said slot in close proximity to said shoe; said shoe further equipped with at least one aperture to accommodate at least one bolt therethrough; said shoe adapted to cooperatively engage with a footing.
 4. The precast concrete noise barrier column of claim 3, wherein said footing includes at least one anchor to threadably engage said bolt passed through said shoe aperture to secure said shoe to said footing.
 5. The precast concrete noise barrier column of claim 3, further including at least two slots in spaced apart relation to each other.
 6. The precast concrete noise barrier column of claim 3, wherein said column has varying width along said length of the column.
 7. The precast concrete noise barrier column of claim 3, wherein said rebar of is different grades along said length of said column.
 8. The precast concrete noise barrier column of claim 3, wherein said slots cooperatively engage with a noise barrier.
 9. The precast concrete noise barrier column of claim 3, wherein said slot has an opening, a rear wall, and side walls extending at an obtuse angle from said rear wall to said opening and intersect with a surface of the column such that said opening is larger than said rear wall.
 10. The precast concrete noise barrier column of claim 9, wherein said sidewalls intersection with said surface of said column is radiused.
 11. The precast concrete noise barrier column of claim 3, wherein said shoe portion rebar is of different grade than said column body rebar.
 12. The precast concrete noise barrier column of claim 3, wherein said rebar from said column shoe portion is cooperatively engaged with rebar in said column body portion.
 13. The precast concrete noise barrier column of claim 3, wherein ties at an end opposite said column shoe are spaced closer together on said rebar than elsewhere along said column.
 14. The precast concrete noise barrier column of claim 8, wherein at least two precast concrete barriers are arranged to accommodate said noise barrier between them. 